


A Matter of Time

by lifeinabeautifullight



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Married Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14805068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeinabeautifullight/pseuds/lifeinabeautifullight
Summary: Their wedding went off without a hitch…unfortunately, Alex and Maggie can’t quite catch a break when it comes to their honeymoon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Angst ahead. Updated weekly.

Nineteen hours ago, Maggie Sawyer married the love of her life.

The ceremony was held in a quaint little church just outside of the city. Initial plans of a big wedding had proven to be more hassle than it was worth and, thus, had been quickly ditched. The only thing that mattered was marrying each other and so they did in front of no more than a dozen people, close friends and immediate family only.

Both brides wore matching white dresses as they exchanged matching silver bands, and both cried as they did so. More tears had escaped Maggie’s eyes as she signed the register and, quite literally, signed off as _Sawyer_ , thus marking the start of the incredibly exciting chapter in her life as _Maggie Danvers_ – professionally, she was keeping her maiden name but outside of work, she’d very much be a _Danvers_.

The following celebrations, however, had to be subdued. President Marsdin was due in town and had specifically requested for Alex to be placed on her security detail, along with Kara and J’onn. Alex had been reluctant to accept the assignment, as it would delay their honeymoon by two days, but Maggie had encouraged her to accept. Rome, the first stop on a three-week tour of Europe, wasn’t going anywhere, and any opportunity to work for the President was amazing for Alex’s career – their trip could wait. Plus, if it weren’t for Olivia Marsdin, their wedding would never have even happened, so postponing things ever so slightly was the very least that they could do.

It might have been the right decision, but it didn’t make waking up the following morning any easier. Her wife ( _wife,_ Alex Danvers was her freaking _wife_!) was particularly feeling it, clinging on tightly to Maggie, with no intention of ever letting go. ‘This…is gonna be the longest weekend of my life,’ she huffed. ‘I was so ready to take photos of you looking cute and extra tiny in front of all the fancy big buildings. Like…like the Colosseum, or…or that big fountain thing.’

‘The _Trevi Fountain_?’

‘Yeah,’ Alex mumbled into Maggie’s shoulder. ‘That one.’

‘They’ve been there for hundreds of years babe,’ Maggie grinned. ‘I don’t think they’re going to be going anywhere anytime soon, nor do I think I’ll have a sudden growth spurt aged thirty-one. You’ll still be able to take those photos.’

‘I know, I know, I just,’ Alex sighed. ‘I never thought I’d be spending my first day of married life working.’

Maggie arched a brow. ‘Really? Because, if I’m being honest, I genuinely expected something to happen and you’d have to work _on_ our wedding day.’ Or worse – and it had been a very real fear – Maggie had thought something would’ve happened that would have prevented their wedding from happening altogether. But no…the alien populace of National City had been on their very best behaviour, and everything had gone perfectly. Maggie glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. ‘What time did you say you were getting picked up at?’

‘Eight forty-five.’

She did the maths quickly. ‘Alright, so that means we have seven more minutes of snuggles before you have to get your perfect little ass in the shower. Say, _Mrs Danvers_ ,’ just saying those words out loud made her beyond giddy, ‘will you require any assistance showering?’

‘A _lot_ of assistance.’

Maggie bit down on her lip. ‘Alright, good. Assistance can certainly be arranged.’

A few peaceful moments passed before Alex’s hold on her suddenly tightened. ‘I change my mind, I don’t wanna go. I wanna go to Rome…and Paris…and everywhere else.’

‘And you _will_ be going to those wonderful places.’ And more - they were also hitting up Berlin and London before finishing their trip in Edinburgh. Neither of them had been to Europe before and, given how hectic their respective careers were, neither were sure when they’d next get the chance to go, so they were packing as much in as they could. It was an exciting first that they were going to tick off the list together. ‘Just…in a few days’ time, alright?’

Alex’s pout was adorable. ‘Fine.’

‘‘Atta girl,’ Maggie smiled as she ran her fingers through her wife’s short locks before tenderly running her thumb back and forth along a shaven side – Alex’s decision to get an undercut had been _such_ a goddamn blessing; a wonderfully fucking hot one that had made Maggie’s life exponentially better. ‘You are so beautiful, you know that?’

Two years, and two rings later, such words still made Alex blush. ‘You’re not making things any easier.’

‘Your fault for being the sexiest wife ever.’

Alex’s cheeks were getting even warmer. ‘What are you gonna do when I’m gone?’

‘Honestly? I’m probably going to just stare at this ring on my hand and wonder how the hell I got so lucky.’ _So, so lucky_. ‘Maybe spend some time online looking at houses too.’

That made Alex perk up. ‘I can’t believe that’s happening. It’s gonna be weird having an actual house.’

Maggie smiled. ‘It’s gonna be weird having a bedroom with walls, instead of steps.’

‘You love it really.’

‘I do, but I still think it’s weird. It’s like an--.’

‘ _Altar of lesbianism_. Yeah, yeah, mock all you want. The lack of doors and walls have been more than convenient in the past.’

‘That’s true,’ Maggie agreed. ‘But as much as I love it, it’s officially now my second favourite altar. That one you joined me at yesterday _easily_ beats it for first place.’

*** *** ***

A driver came to pick Alex up right on time.

The punctuality was a pain in the ass, for it meant their goodbyes had been to be short and sweet. ‘I’m going to miss you so, so much,’ Maggie said breathlessly between kisses. Since moving in together, they hadn’t spent a single night apart. Sometimes one of them would have to work into the wee hours of the morning, but they always woke up to each other. ‘Stay safe, alright?’

‘I will, I promise.’

‘Good,’ Maggie smiled. ‘I love you.’

One more kiss before they had to part. ‘I love you more, Mrs Danvers.’

The title continued to make Maggie’s heart flutter, despite it also aching as Alex headed to leave. ‘Tell Olivia that I say hey.’

Alex laughed. ‘I will.’

‘And warn her that I will kick her ass if she delays our honeymoon any longer.’

The driver shot Maggie a look.

‘Chill Mr Secret Service Man,’ Maggie grinned. ‘I’m just joking…kinda.’

Thirty minutes after Alex left, there was an unexpected delivery. Though, given how sweet her wife was, the beautiful bouquet wasn’t all that surprising. Still…Maggie found her eyes welling up as she read the little note that was attached.

_I know this wasn’t how you pictured your first day of married life – it certainly wasn’t how I pictured it either – but thank you for encouraging, and supporting, my career. Day one, and you’re already crushing the wife game…I can’t wait for a lifetime with the most selfless wife that a girl could ever ask for._

_I love you so much._

_~ Alex._

‘You’re wrong, Alex,’ Maggie said to herself as she set the arrangement down. ‘ _You_ are the best wife.’

After finding a vase for the roses, Maggie retreated back to bed. She booted up _Netflix_ on Alex’s laptop, whilst she used her own to carry out research on houses. It was all tentative at this stage, just simply trying gauge what areas of the city would be best for them in regards to their needs and wants, as well as their budget. When they got back from Europe, they’d start thinking about scheduling viewings but, right now, it was just research.

And it was exciting.

Once they had a house, they’d look to start their little family. As adorable as puppies were, they were a lot of work so they were planning on getting an older dog. Then, some years down the line, they’d start thinking about kids, too. Their choice of home now was, therefore, important as they wanted to live here for a long, long time – potentially for the rest of their lives.

A little after midday, Eliza came to visit and greeted her new daughter-in-law with a big hug. ‘Has it sunk in yet?’

‘I don’t think it’ll ever sink in. Alex is…well, incredible,’ Maggie said, as she nodded over to the flowers on the dining table. ‘I just feel so lucky.’

‘I know Alex feels the same.’

Maggie smiled. ‘I hope she does.’

‘She _does_. The whole family does which is, actually, why I’m here.’ Eliza took Maggie’s arm and led her over to the couch, before pulling out a perfectly wrapped box from her handbag. ‘I’ve got a little something for you.’

‘Oh Eliza, you know that I don’t need--.’

Her mother-in-law was having none of it, forcing the box into Maggie’s hands. ‘It’s to officially welcome you to the family, sweetheart.

 _Family_. Maggie officially had a family now. And she’d never be able to express just how grateful she was for that. She tore into the present, finding a leather box and, inside that, a watch. An expensive one, and one perhaps not best designed for dainty wrists (i.e. what society would deem as a _man’s watch_ ) but that didn’t matter – if she liked something, which she did with this particular timepiece, she would wear it, even if she had to get it adjusted to fit. ‘Eliza, this is…this is _really_ nice.’

Eliza rested a hand on Maggie’s knee. ‘It was Jerimiah’s,’ she said before a second later correcting herself. ‘ _Is_ Jerimiah’s. He wore it on our wedding day and he told me, years ago, that he would give it to whoever won Alex’s hand in marriage. I know it might not be your style--.’

‘It is,’ Maggie said firmly, and with a smile. ‘It definitely is, and I’ll wear it and I’ll cherish it. Thank you, this really means a lot.’ Tears started to well and she let them instead of fighting them. She couldn’t give a damn about Eliza seeing her cry – Eliza was now family. Her mother-in-law. Hell, she was the _mother_ that she wished that she had. ‘Seriously, thank you so much.’

‘I know he would be just as thankful for how happy you make our daughter,’ Eliza smiled. ‘It doesn’t matter how old Alexandra gets, or how many men or aliens that she’s killed…she’ll always be his little girl.’

Maggie placed her hand on top of her mother-in-law’s. ‘We’ll have another ceremony when we find him. And he’ll get to walk her down the aisle.’

This time the smile on Eliza’s face was forced, as she so desperately wanted to share that sort of optimism. ‘I hope so.’

As long as there was breath in her lungs, Maggie would try her hardest to find her father-in-law. She wished that she could tell Eliza – and the Danvers girls – that Jerimiah would be okay, and would one day be back with them. However, that wouldn’t be fair. Instead all she could do was echo her mother-in-law. ‘I do too.’

*** *** ***

Eliza stayed for a few hours, and Maggie was grateful for the company.

The worst part about her wife working with the President? The lack of communication. The security protocols were, understandably, strict. Alex was unable to send texts or make calls, leaving Maggie on what should’ve been the first day of her honeymoon, bored beyond belief once Eliza left. Alex was unavailable; as was Kara and J’onn; James was working; and Winn, well…Winn was still nursing the world’s worst hangover from yesterday, after seemingly taking it upon himself to make up for the fact that Alex couldn’t drink.

Maybe she needed a bigger social circle.

No.

No, she didn’t. Her social circle had always been small and she’d liked it that way. Quality always trumped quantity.

The alien bar was always an option. _Friends_ was perhaps too strong a word, but she was friendly with most of the regulars at that place, and they were good company. But going to a dive bar when she should’ve been on her honeymoon with her wife? It wasn’t quite the same.

Again, she turned to _Netflix_ for company.

It was hard but she focussed on the positives. Such as how, in just under thirty-six hours, they’d been sat in the departures lounge, sipping on champagne as they waited to take to the skies, followed shortly by a slightly tipsy Alex (Alex hated flying and would always, if the circumstances allowed, drink beforehand to ease her nerves) following asleep on her shoulder for a portion of the flight. Maggie had waited nearly thirty years to discover what love truly meant, thirty-six hours were nothing.

Still, she couldn’t help herself and, a little after eight, fired off a text.

_Maggie: Tell Marsdin that the longer she keeps you, the more I regret voting for her. The other guy may have been a misogynistic asshole but at least a misogynistic asshole wouldn’t have wanted a lady agent working for him xo._

An hour later, there was a knock at the door.

For some reason, she thought it was her wife. Hell, for that same unfounded reason, she was _certain_ that it was Alex. So certain, in fact, that Maggie didn’t even bother to look through the peephole. Disappointment hit when she opened the door, and was met by a woman in army dress uniform, who was most certainly not Alex.

Then the worry crashed down on her.

‘Detective Maggie Sawyer?’ The woman asked.

Maggie nodded, and her voice was small in response. ‘Yeah?’

The woman’s smile was kind, though evidently strained as she extended a hand. ‘Major Lucy Lane--.’

The name was familiar. ‘You used to work with Alex, right?’

A nod. ‘Yes, that’s right. That’s…that’s actually why I’m--.’

The words tumbled out of Maggie’s mouth. ‘Is she okay?’

The question prompted Lucy to look down at the ground for the briefest of seconds.

 _Of course_ , Maggie thought. _Of fucking course, life couldn’t be this perfect_. ‘What happened? Is she--.’

‘Can we talk about this inside--.’

‘No,’ Maggie said firmly. ‘No, you tell me right now.’

‘Detective--.’

‘ _Maggie_. Call me Maggie.’ And now Maggie was stalling, absolutely terrified to hear the news that seemingly could only be delivered in person. She took a step back, letting Lucy into the apartment.

Lucy waited until the door was closed before she came out with it. ‘We lost contact with Airforce One about two hours ago. Your wife, along with Kara and J’onn J'onzz, were on board. They’re all missing.’


	2. Chapter 2

Every inch of the apartment seemed to be littered with traces of yesterday, their wedding day. Alex’s dress had been neatly folded over the back of the couch, whilst Maggie’s lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of their bed, a victim of last night’s desire. A faint trail of rainbow confetti lingered, and a stack of Polaroids lay on the dining table.

It wasn’t surprising that the bearer of bad news, Lucy, looked uncomfortable and unsure where to divert her eyes as she waited silently for Maggie to gather herself.

Alex was missing.

That wasn’t great yet, sadly, it wasn’t all that surprising either. Anytime something good happened to them, something bad was always quick to knock them back to reality. ‘Where was the plane headed?’

‘DC. President Marsdin wished for them to be present during a meeting tomorrow morning, and had also arranged a _thank you_ lunch before they flew back to NC.’

‘Was it an important meeting?’

‘I’m afraid that’s--.’

‘No,’ Maggie said firmly. ‘You don’t get to pull that _classified_ crap with me. I’m not asking for state secrets here. I just want to know if what’s happened to my wife was at least for something worthwhile.’

Lucy considered, then divulged. ‘The meeting was to discuss the possibility of the DEO training the President’s personal security detail.’

In other words – _no_. She could’ve taken comfort if Alex had gone missing protecting the lives of many innocents, but not from protecting one rich elite. She forced those grievances aside for now. ‘When did you lose contact with the plane?’

‘All contact ceased minutes after take-off.’

_Minutes?_ ‘How the hell can you lose a plane – the most important plane on this planet – just _minutes_ after take-off? Surely you could see the damn thing?’

‘We don’t know--.’

‘You _don’t know?_ ’

‘We know, but we don’t.’

Maggie frowned. ‘Excuse me?’

‘We know that the plane is still intact – sensor readings onboard indicate that there was no engine failure, nor any damage to the aircraft. We just don’t know _where_ it is – we can’t communicate with anyone on board, and the tracking system has gone offline.’

That was something, at least. Alex was presumably still alive, only missing. ‘This sounds like the plot to a bad movie, one that makes no fucking sense. Did…did you check Alex’s tracker?’

Lucy nodded. ‘Yes. Offline too.’

‘Great to see how useful the taxpayer’s money is.’

‘Maggie--.’

‘What? You don’t agree with me? Putting aside the fact that my wife is missing, you’ve managed to lose the President of the United States, and _Supergirl_. Do you know how royally fucked you are?’ Then she remembered. ‘And J’onn too, shit.’ It wasn’t her wife that was missing – it was a good chunk of her family. Maggie sighed. ‘I’m sorry. I know this isn’t your fault, it’s just…you know.’

Lucy offered a sympathetic smile. ‘Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have notified family yet. However, Alex had given very strict orders should anything ever happen to her in the line of duty.’

‘And they are?’

‘She wants you to work the case.’

‘She specifically stated that?’

A nod. ‘Yes.’

And Maggie couldn’t help but let out the smallest of laughs. ‘It’s cute that she thought that I wouldn’t in the first place.’

*** *** ***

A car was waiting outside the apartment complex to escort her to the DEO. The moment they pulled away from the kerb, Maggie made a call. ‘Hey…how’s the hangover?’

‘The hangover has a hangover,’ Winn groaned. ‘I’m seriously never drinking again…god, it hurts. _Everything_ hurts…my pride especially, since I somehow ripped my pants last night.’

‘Yeah, a few of the guests at the reception were a bit confused as to why there was a male stripper at a lesbian wedding.’

Lucy, who was sat beside her, shot her a puzzled look.

‘Don’t,’ Winn sighed. ‘I…just don’t want to know.’

Maggie’s grin quickly faded. ‘Listen, this actually isn’t a social call, and I know it’s a big ask as you’re obviously still feeling it right now but…but I need you to come into the DEO as soon as you can. Something--.’ Her voice caught. She hated how vague she had to be and how she had to categorize her wife’s disappearance as _something_. She took a second to compose herself. ‘Something’s come up. Come to the DEO, please? I need you.’

She hung up before he could ask questions.

*** *** ***

It was weird walking into the DEO with no familiar faces to greet her, only two serious men in suits.

One extended a hand. ‘You must be Detective Sawyer.’

His handshake was firm. ‘I am.’

The man nodded. ‘Agent Clifford, Secret Service. I understand that Agent Danvers has placed you in charge in both her, and the director’s, absence.’

‘In…in charge?’ Maggie turned to Lucy. ‘You said I was to help with the investigation, not run the damn place.’

‘It’s more or less the same thing,’ Lucy said nonchalantly.

‘I…I don’t have the clearance for this.’

‘You’ve automatically been granted the appropriate clearance level, subject to a polygraph,’ Agent Clifford explained, before nodding in the direction of the corridor. ‘Shall we?’

‘Wouldn’t time be better spent running the investigation?’

Her question was met with a stern expression. ‘This _is_ part of the investigation, Detective Sawyer.’

Then it dawned on Maggie. ‘If you think my wife’s part of some plot to take down the President, then you are sorely mistaken. Like, seriously, get over yourself. We were supposed to be on our goddamn honeymoon, Alex has had much better things to do. Hell, she had a detailed itinerary printed out for Rome the second we booked our flights.’

Clifford didn’t care. ‘Failure to comply will result in arrest.’

‘This is absurd. You clearly don’t know who Alex Danvers is.’

‘Detective Sawyer--.’

Maggie shrugged. ‘Fine, whatever. Let’s get it done, so we can move onto more important things.’

*** *** ***

The couple of minutes it took to be hooked up to the polygraph machine were minutes that could’ve been spent looking for Alex. This was dumb; a huge waste of both time and money. Not that she planned on it, but any idiot could lie in a poly and still pass if they knew how.

What they really were for, was to get under people’s skin. And that Agent Clifford seemed intent on doing, after the first baseline question. ‘Was there a reason that you decided to change your surname to _Sawyer_ when you turned 18?’

‘Irrelevant. Next question.’

He pressed. ‘Yes or no answers only.’

‘Yes,’ Maggie said firmly. ‘And it’s none of your goddamn business.’

There was a slight smirk on Clifford’s face as he looked down at the file in front of him. ‘Did you grow up in Blue Springs, Nebraska?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you were born in March ’87?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay, moving on.’

‘ _Finally_.’

‘Do you believe that your wife, Alexandra Danvers, would ever wish to hurt the President of the United States?’

Maggie arched a brow. ‘Haven’t we all wished that we could hurt a politician?’

‘I’ll rephrase that. Do you believe that your wife, Alexandra Danvers, would ever hurt the President of the United States?’

‘No.’

‘Would _you_ hurt the President of the United States?’

‘I was very tempted to after she ruined my honeymoon plans…but no. Next question.’

‘What about your sister-in-law, Kara--.’

She had to laugh at that. ‘Seriously? I have literally witnessed that girl accidentally kill a butterfly and get torn up about it. So no. No, I do not believe that she, Alex or J’onn would ever hurt the President. And that,’ Maggie started to pull the wires off her, ‘Is the end of this interview. Thanks for collectively wasting our time. If anything happens to my wife, or my friends, then I am holding you responsible.’

*** *** ***

She took the briefest of moments to compose herself after leaving the interview room. She hated feeling like this, feeling so damn helpless.

It had been different when Rick Malverne had taken Alex. She felt helpless, yes, but she also had places to start looking, routes to go down. Right now, she realistically only had one and she wasn’t confident about that either.

Winn was waiting for her at his desk. The circles under his eyes were dark, and the concern on his brow was deep. ‘What’s happening?’

Maggie took a deep breath. ‘Alex, Kara and J’onn are all missing.’

‘What?’

‘Yeah,’ Maggie nodded. ‘The President is too.’

‘Oh...shit, I--.’

‘I need you to do something for me right now, before those government idiots come back.’

‘Anything,’ Winn said.

‘Great. Thank you.’ Finally, someone that she knew wasn’t completely incompetent. ‘Alex has another tracker. She fitted it herself, and didn’t want anyone else to know – it’s in case of emergencies if she ever goes slightly off-book. She registered it in the system, I need you to look it up. Tracking number is 10-24-16-05-22-17-03-29-87.’

Winn duly typed those numbers in. ‘How the hell do you remember that off the top of your head?’

‘They’re all dates: the day we first met; the day we got engaged; and the day that I was born.’ And that tracking device perfectly summed up Alex – sweet and sentimental…with the tendency to do something as reckless as go rogue. Maggie leaned over Winn’s shoulder, eyes focussed on the screen. ‘C’mon, c’mon--.’

There was a beep, and a map location popped up. ‘It’s online. She’s somewhere just outside of the city. Are you going to be telling…’

Maggie didn’t hear the rest of the question – she had already left.

*** *** ***

As much as it pained her, she let Lucy and Agent Clifford know.

It was a wise decision.

There was no sign of Airforce One, the President, Alex or Kara in that field but there was J’onn, lying unconscious. Alex’s tiny, and bloodied, tracker chip lay beside him – they’d wanted him to be found. They took him back to the DEO to recover.

‘Doctor says it could be a while before he wakes up,’ Maggie said as she emerged from his private room. ‘They don’t seem concerned about his condition though, so that’s something.’

‘Why did they leave him?’ Winn asked.

‘Probably to send a message,’ Lucy mused.

Maggie offered another suggestion. ‘Or they didn’t know how they would restrain him if they took him. Humans are easy to abduct, and it’s not a secret that Kryptonite stops Kryptonians. My guess is that they don’t know, or simply didn’t have the means, to be able to keep a Martian at bay. After all, if you’re going to use someone for leverage, or for knowledge, you’d pick the director himself, not the deputy.’

‘That…makes sense,’ Winn agreed.

Lucy did too. ‘Definitely. And now I’m leaning towards that as an explanation. Say, if you ever want a job here--.’

‘The only thing I want is my wife back. And my sister-in-law.’ Nothing more, and certainly nothing less. ‘I’m gonna go grab a coffee. Does anyone else want one?’ Nobody did so she went on her way. She was halfway down the hallway, on her way to the elevator, when Agent Clifford grabbed her by the arm. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘We need to talk,’ he said, pulling her into a right turn and leading her into a lockerroom. He locked the door, and blocked it with his body.

Maggie’s fingers twitched, ready to pull on him if need be. Her wife and friends aside, she didn’t trust a single person affiliated with the government, and she especially didn’t trust this greased-up douche. ‘Is this another interrogation? ‘Cause if it is, then sorry. I have nothing to say to you.’

Clifford shook his head. ‘It is not. Rather, I want you to listen.’ He unlocked his phone before turning the screen to her. ‘And look.’

The image made her stomach drop, and smacked the words right out of her mouth. It was Alex, blindfolded and gagged, arms pulled taught – presumably cuffed – behind her, in some dimly lit room. She was utterly defenceless, at the mercy of whoever had her. ‘Why…why do you have that?’

‘Because we have _her_ ,’ Clifford calmly replied. ‘She’s alive, and she’s well and she will continue to be if you follow my instructions.’

Now Maggie pulled on him. ‘You son of a bitch--.’

The Glock didn’t faze him. ‘If you kill me, she dies. And that’s a promise, not a threat.’

And the promise made her lower her gun. ‘Why do you have her?’

‘I can’t say that but, what I can say, is that her fate rests entirely in your hands. If you’re a good girl, and do as I say, then you might get to go on your honeymoon after all.’

_Might_. The conditional term tugged at her heart, as did the words that she found coming out of her mouth. ‘How do I know that she’s still…still alive?’

Clifford raised an index finger, as used the other on his phone to place a call. Alex appeared on the FaceTime, and looked up blindly at the sound of her name.

‘Alex?’

She pulled at her restraints, mumbling unintelligibly into her gag.

Maggie looked at Clifford. ‘Let me talk to her.’

Clifford just shook his head, and ended the call. ‘You asked for proof of life, you got it. If you’re good then maybe you can have a conversation later.’

Maggie wouldn’t count on it.

‘Like I said earlier,’ he continued. ‘Her fate is up to you. If you’re smart, then this will all come to a natural, and hopefully peaceful, conclusion in a few days. If not, well,’ he shrugged. ‘You definitely won’t get to go on your honeymoon.’

_That son of a bitch_. She had no choice. ‘What do you want me to do?’

‘Sabotage Major Lane’s investigation. Make sure it goes nowhere,’ Clifford slipped his phone into his suit pocket as he turned to leave. ‘Oh, and it goes without saying, but keep this little conversation between us.’ He unlocked the door. ‘I’ll talk to you soon.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun...


	3. Chapter 3

They’d clicked so well so quickly because they were very similar people. Similar jobs, similar clothes, similar choice in television shows…the only thing they ever really clashed about was food and, nine times out of ten, that was only because Alex had never tried something and was, weirdly, prejudiced against it – see: vegan ice-cream.

Personality wise, they were almost identical. They were both loyal; both fond of expressing affection; and both stubborn to a fault in their own ways. They were also both control freaks, and the desire to be in complete control had not only came with the territory of their careers but had, also, seeped into their everyday lives. They were okay with expressing vulnerability when with each other – they were each other’s safe space, a place of complete trust and no judgement – and around a handful of others but, outside of that, they were constantly guarded, and constantly wanting to seize control of whatever situation they found themselves in.

Alex being held captive somewhere and by someone, was Maggie’s worst nightmare, and the sight of her wife restrained, blindfolded and gagged was an image that would forever be burned into her mind, regardless of however things ended.

It was Alex’s worst nightmare too.

After Alex had been abducted by Rick Malverne, she’d declined the therapy offered to her, instead opting to open up about the ordeal to Maggie, and to Maggie only. A few days after it all, they’d talked into the wee hours. It had been cathartic, but it had also been rough, as Alex had revealed that that near-death experience had gotten to her in a way that the countless others hadn’t.

_‘I’m okay with dying. That’s…that’s always been a part of this job and I’m fine with that, I accept that. Dying doesn’t scare me. But…but that feeling of waiting for the inevitable, knowing that time was ticking away and feeling my body growing weaker, and weaker? That, I…that I don’t think I could ever forget_.’

And now Alex was having to relive that feeling, at the mercy of god knows how many people. The thought made Maggie’s heart ache, as well as fuelling a fire inside of her.

Clifford would pay for this, and so would anyone and everyone he was working with. But that was later.

Right now, she had to figure out how to get Alex back alive, put on a brave front and hide how she was really feeling – she had to try harder at that latter part.

‘Are you okay?’ Winn asked as she approached.

‘What?’

He grimaced. ‘That’s a dumb question, I am so sorry. I…I just meant ‘cause, you know you left to go get a coffee and you don’t have any.’

‘Oh. Uh…’ _Doing a real stellar job with this brave front_. She shook her head. ‘Must’ve gotten sidetracked. Too many things on my mind right now.’

Winn’s smile was kind, but strained. ‘I know, I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be,’ Maggie reassured. ‘You’re only looking out for me and I really, _really_ can’t stress how grateful I am for that.’ She pulled him into a hug, and rested her head on his shoulder. ‘By the way that rainbow confetti you bought ended up _everywhere_ …we really did have a gay old time last--.’

‘Okay,’ Winn pulled away. ‘Alex is basically my big sister, which makes you my sister-in-law and I don’t want to picture _that_ , alright?’

Maggie laughed. ‘Sorry?’

‘Yeah. You should be.’

‘Getting back to things, do you know where Lucy is?’

‘She left to make a call.’

‘Right,’ Maggie said before checking the time. _12:04_ – Alex had been missing for nearly five hours.

‘New watch?’

Maggie smiled. ‘A wedding gift from Eliza. It belonged to Alex’s father.’ It hung a little loosely on her wrist, but was still comfortable to wear without any adjustment. ‘It’s pretty sweet, right?’

‘Definitely. It also looks as if it’s--.’

‘ _Maggie_.’

Maggie spun at the sound of her name. ‘Lucy.’ A familiar face was, unfortunately, not too far behind. ‘And Agent Clifford.’

‘Detective Sawyer,’ he smiled. ‘Major Lane was talking to our guys back at the White House. They’re currently sweeping the field where J’onn was found--.’

‘You really need experts to do that? Any idiot with basic crime scene training can tell you that a jet didn’t land in that field, and that J’onn’s injuries are not consistent with falling from the sky. Which is why I don’t think,’ she locked eyes with Clifford, ‘they were ever on board.’

If he wasn’t a poker player, then he should be – Clifford’s body language gave nothing away.

‘Impossible,’ Lucy countered. ‘There’s a series of rigorous checks carried out prior to take-off. They were on board.’

‘ _Impossible_?’ Maggie laughed. ‘Four people don’t board a plane…yeah, that’s the strangest thing to ever happen. Hell, my wife and I are meant to be boarding in some thirty hours but I highly doubt that’s gonna happen now.’

Clifford’s poker face cracked ever so slightly, the joy he was taking from this bubbling tension showing through.

Maggie sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Lucy. I know this isn’t your fault, and that you’ve just got to deal with this mess but c’mon. You’re wrong here, I’m certain of it. They didn’t board AirForce One. They got taken earlier.’

‘We examined the surveillance footage--.’

‘It’ll have been altered.’ An opportunity was arising here, so Maggie went for it. ‘Let me take complete control of this investigation. You work for the government and, so, will be understandably reluctant to admit that there were mistakes on your end. Me, on the other hand? Besides my wife; this guy,’ she pointed at Winn, ‘and Kara and J’onn? I’m not the government’s biggest fan. I’m sceptical, and I’m suspicious, just like most Americans are. I offer a detached and critical perspective…and that’s what this investigation needs. And I’ll still be open to input, after all I can’t do this alone.’

Lucy mulled it over for a few seconds before nodding. ‘Okay. You have complete control, and access to whatever resources you need.’

‘Thank you.’ At least this way, she was in control and it was, thus, less risky than being caught trying to sabotage Lucy. ‘I want a list of names of those working with President Marsdin within the last twenty-four hours, including the MPD officers that would have assisted with additional security.’

‘I’ll get you them,’ Lucy said before leaving.

Clifford gave her a lingering stare, a silent warning before following.

‘I don’t wanna be rude but that guy creeps me out a little,’ Winn remarked.

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah. I don’t know why, but he just does. He gives off weird vibes.’

Maggie wished she could validate Winn’s thoughts, but she thought better of it. The less people that knew, the less people that could get hurt. It was safer that way. So, instead, she just patted his shoulder. ‘Do me a solid and pull up the surveillance tapes from the airport. I wanna go over them.’

*** *** ***

The tapes hadn’t been doctored.

The cameras were all a good distance away which, combined with the careful consideration of angles, allowed for them – whoever _them_ was – to use convincing body doubles in everyone’s place.

Well, they were mostly convincing…her wife’s double may have had the hair and the stance nailed perfectly, but what they didn’t have was _that_ ass in _those_ tight jeans – Maggie would never think of herself as a shallow person, as her love for Alex ran so, so much deeper than just looks…but she had grown especially fond of that ass.

Regardless, knowing that they never made it to the tarmac was a starting point.

Maggie commandeered J’onn’s office, and turned it into a briefing room. ‘Winn’s currently tracing the route they took to the airport to find any secluded areas where the motorcade could have gotten intercepted.’

‘Intercepting the Presidential motorcade would take some doing,’ Clifford said, voice and features predictably impassive.

‘And I give whoever pulled it off credit for doing so. After all, they definitely got into the Presidential limo. It had to have been intercepted.’ It’d been an hour since Clifford had made his threats and he’d had countless opportunities to speak in private with her, so she gathered that whatever she would find through this line of investigation would likely not lead her anywhere significant. Still…it was _something_ , and the _only_ thing she had to go on right now. She had no other alternative but to press on, scrutinize everything she found and hope that whoever had taken them had slipped up somewhere.

‘Means they’ll just be more than a few steps ahead of us,’ Clifford remarked. ‘Way more.’

_That son of a bitch_. Maggie had force her growing rage aside. ‘I’ll bet.’

Clifford nodded. ‘Can I have a word with you, Detective?’

Force her rage aside, and put on a polite front…she fucking hated this. ‘Of course.’

Clifford led her back to the locker-room where they’d had their earlier conversation. ‘The doctors are saying that J’onn should be waking up soon.’

‘Yeah, I heard. They told me too.’

‘Well, do you see how this could be a problem?’

Maggie frowned. ‘I see _a problem_ …and it’s standing right in front of me, stinking of cheap ass cologne.’

‘Cute,’ Clifford sneered. ‘You think you’re a comedienne.’

‘And I also think that you’re an asshole.’

‘Yeah, yeah, whatever.’ Clifford reached into a pocket and removed a clear ziplocked bag that contained a syringe. ‘Inject this into J’onn’s IV.’

‘Not a chance in hell.’

‘Relax. It’s not going to kill him; it’ll just prolong his rest by putting him in a light coma.’

Maggie shook her head. ‘No, you’re fucking insane.’

‘If J’onn wakes and starts reading people’s minds then I _will_ be forced to make a phone call and you, and your darling wife, are not going to like that one bit.’

Maggie’s heart sank.

He forced the bag into her hand. ‘The dosage in there will not kill him, I promise. We just need him out of action for a little while, so that is all it will do.’ He headed to leave.

Maggie caught his arm. ‘Do you also have Kara?’

He nodded. ‘We do, yes.’

‘Is she okay?’

‘She’s alive, if that’s what you mean. _Okay_? Well, Kryptonians don’t really cope with Kryptonite very well, so it might be a bit of a stretch to categorize her condition as _okay_.’

‘Asshole,’ Maggie muttered.

The curse prompted a laugh. ‘I am, aren’t I?’

‘So who are you? Cadmus?’

‘Cadmus wishes.’ And that was it, no further elaboration as he turned and left.

*** *** ***

A few days after they got engaged, a nervous J’onn (yes, J’onn, nervous) had pulled her aside in the dive bar when the conversation about wedding planning, prompted by Kara, had reached a natural lull. He apologised profusely for the intrusion but emphasised that he couldn’t help it.

‘Sometimes it’s hard to tune stuff out,’ he had explained. ‘But I just want to say that if you want someone to walk you down the aisle, all you need to do is ask and I would be absolutely thrilled to do it. I would be honoured to call you my daughter.’

Prior to that conversation they hadn’t talked much on a personal level. On a professional level, yes, and they had quickly developed a strong respect for each other on that front. Hearing J’onn saying those words had really knocked her for six, and she had to fight back tears, not wanting to return to their booth in a state.

Their friendship blossomed after that and, whilst Maggie hadn’t taken him up on that offer – she had been more than content to wait at the altar, and let her beautiful bride have that big moment – she had appreciated his presence as a father figure in her life.

There was no way she could follow Clifford’s orders.

No way.

As Winn worked on finding possible leads, Maggie sat at J’onn’s bedside, clutching his hand tightly.

Clifford joined her after a while. ‘Not done it yet?’

‘What do you think?’

‘I don’t think, I _know_. And that’s why I spoke with my friend earlier – he says your wife’s feisty.’

Maggie looked up at him. ‘If you’ve touched her--.’

‘What?’ Clifford sneered. ‘What exactly will you do? I call my buddy every half hour to let him know that things are okay on my end. If he doesn’t get that call, he kills her. So try stopping me, Detective. See how that works out for you.’

‘You piece of shit.’

‘Relax, it was only a molar. Your girl’s got a pretty high pain tolerance too, but it definitely hurt.’

Maggie’s stomach dropped.

‘And it’s not like we _wanted_ to do it. No, that shit is messy and, I’m sure you’re more than aware of it, but she’s a biter. It wasn’t pretty but, hey – we gotta make sure that you know how serious this whole situation is.’ He showed her a photo on his phone and, right enough, it was a molar. ‘Like I said earlier, I’m not asking you to kill him…just make sure that he stays out a little longer, you dig?’ He looked at his phone and smiled. ‘That’s a big one, huh? How much do you think the toothfairy is going to give her? I’d say that twenty bucks at least.’

‘You asshole.’

‘Oh c’mon. The job gives her free dental – it’s not going to cost her a penny to get that fixed. And everything on our end was sterilized, we didn’t use dirty pliers like they do in the movies – that’s terribly cliched,’ Clifford smirked as he headed to leave. ‘Clock’s ticking. Do it for _Mrs Danvers_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, angst, angst...do y'all love angst as much as i do? :)


	4. Chapter 4

The reception had been bigger than the ceremony, and everybody invited was a friend but it had still been just _too much_.

The guests had been either dancing or mingling when Alex had decided to grab Maggie’s hand and smuggle her off the dancefloor, leading her into the corridor and into the nearest closet. The irony had not been lost on Maggie. ‘Interesting place for two lesbians to hide.’

‘We’re not hiding.’

‘Then what _are_ we doing?’

‘I…’ Alex had just sighed before pulling Maggie closer. ‘Just shut up and kiss me, alright?’

Maggie had been more than happy to oblige.

‘How much…’ Alex said breathlessly, and between kisses, ‘…longer do we have to stay?’

‘Babe, it’s _our_ wedding reception.’

‘And? Doesn’t that mean we can leave when we want?’

Adorable would never be enough to describe just how cute her wife was. ‘I guess, but it’s only seven.’

‘Yeah and? I do have a long day tomorrow.’

Maggie had seen right through her. ‘Don’t give me that crap. You want to bail so we can have sex.’

‘So?’

‘So, I’m not objecting. But I think we should stay a little longer first, then bail.’

And they had, for another hour before citing Alex’s early call the following morning to explain their sudden departure. Most people saw through the ruse, and J’onn’s look had been especially knowing – Alex had a tendency to think loudly, often to Maggie’s embarrassment. Yet they hadn’t cared. They had an amazing night, but they had also barely slept, too in love to even entertain the possibility. Alex was already exhausted this morning…she must be feeling it right now, must be--.

‘Hey.’

Maggie flinched at Winn’s gentle voice.

He forced a smile. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I just came to see how he was doing.’

She was still clutching J’onn’s hand as she kept vigil at his bedside. ‘He’s okay but things…things are bad, Winn.’

‘Lucy’s making progress with the White House, and says she should have something very soon--.’

‘It’s not that, I…’ She tailed off, the weight of the situation crushing her. She couldn’t do this alone – she could barely keep her shit together, let alone take down some terrorist cell. ‘I need you to keep a secret.’

‘Anything.’

‘You cannot say a word of this to anyone else, no matter how fucked up it is, do you understand?’

Suspicion creeping onto his features, Winn nodded. ‘Maggie, you know that I have your back. Always.’

She knew that and that was why she was terrified of involving him in all of this, not wanting to place another person she loved in danger. ‘Alex and Kara aren’t missing. They’re being held hostage, and Agent Clifford is involved in it.’

Winn didn’t look surprised in the slightest. ‘Are you sure?’

‘He’s shown me pictures, live footage – he definitely has her, and Kara too, though I haven’t seen proof of that. And he’s hu--.’ Her voice caught. She swallowed hard, to push those emotions right back down. ‘He’s hurting them, Winn. They – whoever he’s working with – have Kryptonite and Alex, they’re…they’re torturing her. And they will kill her if I don’t do as he says.’

‘What…’ Winn’s voice was raw. ‘What does he want you to do?’

‘Sabotage this investigation so it doesn’t go anywhere,’ Maggie reached into her pocket and pulled out the syringe. ‘And make sure that J’onn doesn’t wake.’

‘He wants you to kill him?’

Maggie shrugged. ‘He claims it won’t kill him, just prolong his state of sleep but who knows. I’m not taking that chance, no way. But if I don’t...then I lose _everything_.’

The words hung heavy for a few moments before Winn rested a hand on her knee. ‘I think might have a solution.’

‘I have nothing so please, fire away.’

Winn stood and walked over to the monitor by J’onn’s bedside. ‘All the monitors in the medbay can be controlled remotely through the main DEO network. If I hack into it – which I can, ‘cause that’s basically child’s play – then I can manipulate the output to give resting stats. I’ll stay with J’onn and, when he does wake, let him know what’s going on so he can continue to play dead.’

‘That…could work. But what about J’onn’s doctor? Do we lie to them too?’

‘I mean…unless his condition deteriorates, do they need to know? I can have the actual monitor readings on my phone and can keep track of them that way – but they have said there’s no need to worry. We should be safe. It’s a temporary solution but--.’

‘Do it,’ Maggie said. It wasn’t the most watertight of plans but it was still a plan. And they didn’t have any others. ‘You stay in here, and keep that door locked so that son of a bitch doesn’t walk in at the wrong moment.’

‘Won’t that seem a little suspicious?’

‘What? A guy wanting to have some privacy with his ailing friend? True, Clifford doesn’t have a heart so would probably deem that suspicious but I think we should be okay.’ Maggie smiled at Winn as she got up and headed to the door. ‘I’m going to talk with Lucy. I’ll keep you in the loop.’

*** *** ***

There was no interlude; Lucy cut right to it. ‘Agent Jeffrey Haines was in on it too.’

 _Haines_ was a name that she recognised. He was Marsdin’s driver. ‘And we know that for certain?’

‘He hid a note in his luggage in his hotel room. It was to his wife – an apology for leaving her. He must’ve known that there was no going back.’

Maggie made sure to make eye contact with Clifford. ‘‘Cause they’d kill him if he backed out. It looks like he had a semblance of a conscience – one of them had to, I guess.’

Clifford’s façade had cracked ever so slightly – the dude was pissed, though tried to continue with his mindgames. ‘Love does make people do stupid things, like risk blowing an otherwise perfect operation. Love’s powerful.’

 _That it was_. Maggie turned to Lucy. ‘Get the wife in for questioning and search his house.’

‘Already happening as we speak.’

‘Good,’ Maggie said. ‘So we have _something_. What else?’ Haines was something but it would likely lead nowhere. They needed more.

This time, though, Lucy was a little more hesitant. ‘Maggie, we…we don’t have anything else.’

‘Nothing?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘No.’

‘What about the route the motorcade went? Surely you could find an area where it was intercepted? A blind spot, away from cameras?’

‘There’s numerous blindspots on that route.’

‘And? The Presidential motorcade got intercepted and nobody noticed? You’re really trying to feed me that bullshit?’

Lucy looked down at the ground.

Maggie’s stomach lurched. ‘What are you not telling me?’

‘Every agent in that motorcade is missing too.’

It sounded so ridiculous, all Maggie could do was laugh. ‘Every agent? C’mon…nobody noticed that either?’

‘There were two other vehicles in that motorcade – one leading and one following. The licence plates get checked, not the occupants. Airport security saw the cars approaching, and let them in.’

Maybe they were smart after all. ‘So the entire motorcade was hijacked at one of _numerous_ blindspots. They – whoever the fuck _they_ are – swarmed in, took everyone they needed and swapped over drivers.’ Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘How the fuck can you let this happen? Who routes a Presidential motorcade like that? _Numerous_ blindspots…are you stupid?’

‘We had Supergirl with the President, we thought--.’

‘That you could take risks. Yeah,’ Maggie nodded. ‘I get it, you fucked up. I…I need to go. Think some things through, you…you do whatever you need to do. Call me if you get any leads – if you can manage to even do that.’

*** *** ***

Helpless.

That was how she was feeling. Not to mention angry, confused, worried – hell, she was feeling a lot of things right now. But helpless? That was the biggie.

She had to do something. She couldn’t sit around on her ass and hope that a lead fell into her lap. No, she couldn’t even sit in the DEO, she had to get out of there.

‘Hey, did you drive here?’

Winn looked up from his phone. ‘I did…I know I’m still very, very hungover but I think the alcohol wore off?’

‘Relax, I trust your judgement and, right now, I don’t really care. I need to borrow it – my bike’s at home, as they drove me here.’

Winn tossed his keys over. ‘Knock yourself out. Where are you going?’

‘To the precinct, to use the police database as I’m pretty sure Clifford will monitor anything I look up here.’

‘Fair point,’ Winn nodded. ‘Stay safe.’

‘I will,’ Maggie smiled, before she nodded at J’onn. ‘And keep him safe for me, too.’

*** *** ***

As expected in the wee hours of the morning, the roads were deserted as she made the short drive between the DEO and her precinct. She was thankful for that as not only did it mean that the lights were in her favour, but it also meant that she could make sure that she wasn’t being tailed. She wasn’t, though it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out where she’d went.

She started with Clifford, and Agent James Henry Clifford had nothing of note on his record, except for a single ticket for running a red light.

Then Haines. Nothing of note either.

She ran every single name that was involved in the motorcade and found absolutely nothing.

And then it hit her. The crushing realization that she was completely and utterly screwed, and that she could be become a widow after mere days.

She reached for the framed photo on her desk and ran her thumb over it. Alex complained about it every time she visited the precinct, lamenting that the snap of her wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater, covered in flour, _killed her reputation_ , but Maggie knew that she secretly loved it. It had been taken a few months back, as they made cupcakes and gingerbread men, whilst listening to festive music. The entire purpose of the afternoon had been to make treats to bring to Kara’s the following day, but they’d ended up eating half of what they made, something that had been entirely Alex’s fault as she’d decided to handfeed Maggie a freshly iced cupcake…the intimacy of such a move had only fuelled their gluttony. It had been a cliched way to spend Christmas Eve, but it had also been the best.

And it could be their last.

 _Fuck_.

‘Detective Sawyer.’

Maggie shoved the frame in a desk drawer to prevent that son of a bitch from using it as leverage. _Forty minutes._ It had taken Clifford all of forty minutes to hunt her down. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Could ask the same of you.’

‘I’m a Detective and this is my precinct. You’re the odd one out here,’ Maggie said. ‘What do you want?’

‘To talk to you…you know the drill.’

They went to the empty breakroom. ‘Start talking then.’

‘J’onn’s still out for the count – you actually did it, huh?’

Maggie nodded. ‘Against my better judgement.’ She brought out the empty syringe. ‘If that kills him, then I really am going to enjoy making you suffer.’

Clifford smiled. ‘Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, to show you that I’m not an unreasonable person, I thought you deserved to have a little conversation with your wife. Though with all the death threats, I’m not sure that I want to anymore.’

Her knuckles whitened. ‘Let me talk to her.’

He obliged and facetimed his guy.

Alex looked just as defenceless, still restrained and blindfolded like before but damn…it was good to see her. ‘Alex?’

And hear her this time, though her speech was a little slurred, no doubt because of the amateur dentistry performed on her. ‘Maggie? Are you--.’

‘I’m okay. How…how are you holding up?’

‘As good as I can be. It’s…it’s good to talk to you. I mean it’s only been a day--.’

‘Just under twenty-four hours,’ Maggie informed.

‘God, I’m really that clingy, aren’t I?’

‘A little.’ And it was absolutely ad--.

Alex was smacked with a handgun before the call promptly ended.

Instinctively, Maggie grabbed Clifford by the throat and shoved him against the wall. ‘What the--.’

‘Easy, detective,’ he choked out. ‘Remember what I said…hurt me and she won’t…just be getting hit with that gun.’

She begrudgingly let him go. ‘We had a deal.’

‘Yes, we did. And you backed out of it, and lied to me.’ He adjusted his tie. ‘I bugged J’onn’s room. I heard every detail of your little plan with Winslow.’

 _Fuck_. ‘Leave him out of this, he’s harmless--.’

‘Physically, he is. Intellectually? He’s _far_ from harmless,’ Clifford said. ‘J’onn was a test, I wanted to see how you would react under pressure.’ He opened his suit jacket, revealing a small, glowing circle pinned to the inside lining. ‘That little thing blocks his psychic powers, so I was never at risk at him reading my mind. I’m not just a step ahead of you, I’m a goddamn mile.’

 _Just as he had said._ ‘Look, I’m willing to help you, alright? I just draw the line at hurting the people I care about.’

‘I see that. You’re very loyal. No wonder you changed your surname – you’re nothing like your parents.’

‘I’m not. And I’m proud of that.’ And she wasn’t falling for his mindgames. ‘Look, I’ll do whatever you want, so long as nobody gets hurt.’

‘Okay.’ Clifford reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive. ‘Since you got Winslow involved, he can help out. Same rules apply – if he doesn’t do it, Alex gets hurt.’

Maggie accepted the hardware. ‘What’s on this?’

‘A virus. It’ll take down the agency’s network.’

‘Consider it done.’

‘Make sure that it is.’

Maggie grabbed him before he turned to leave. ‘I know you said that you weren’t, but this reeks of Cadmus.’

‘I told you, we’re not Cadmus. Not anymore.’

 _Anymore?_ ‘So you were?’

‘Yeah,’ Clifford affirmed. ‘And, one day, we technically will be again, when we take them over and get rid of Miss Luthor. But that’s later. This is right now, and I trust you won’t pull any more stunts. I’ll be seeing you, Detective.’

Once she was certain he was gone, she made a call. After ringing for what felt like an eternity, it was answered. ‘Hey, I’m sorry it’s late…I, uh…I need a big favour.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who did she call??????? Dun dun dun...


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the ungodly hour, Lena sounded awake – not surprising since what with all the assassination attempts and business deals, the woman had little time to breathe, let alone sleep. ‘I can make no guarantees but I can certainly try my best. What’s wrong?’

 _What wasn’t?_ And yet again, Maggie found herself forced to put another innocent life in danger. ‘Alex and Kara have been taken hostage. The people responsible are also intent on taking out your mother. I’m guessing that means that they know her, so I need to speak with her.’ She phrased that poorly. She could head over to the maximum-security prison that Lillian was residing in and _speak_ to her with no problem at all. It was getting _her to_ _talk_ that was the issue.

Regardless, Lena understood and her tone was tinged by sadness. ‘Oh, alright.’

‘I know things aren’t great between you two, so this is a huge ask but I’m desperate here. I don’t have anything else, and they’re hurting Alex and Kara if I don’t do as they say--.’

‘You’ve met these people?’

‘One of them works for the secret service. He’s a double agent.’

‘Secret service?’

‘Yeah, they’ve also got the President. Their vehicle was intercepted, it was a well-planned operation - whoever’s behind it all clearly knows what they’re doing--.’

Lena didn’t hesitate, didn’t need to think things through. ‘I’ll meet you at the prison.’

*** *** ***

To classify their relationship as one of _friendship_ was a bit of a stretch. Sure, they hung out and Lena was at the wedding but they weren’t really friends and wouldn’t see each other if it wasn’t for Alex and Kara. It was fine when they were hanging out in a group but, alone, there was always that tinge of awkwardness hanging over them, awkwardness that had been there since their first meeting in Lena’s office when Maggie had arrested her.

It seemed sort of ironic they met up at the prison, though the usual awkwardness had been swallowed up by the severity of the situation.

Lena was already there, and nodded to the main entrance as Maggie approached. ‘Shall we?’

The head of Cadmus was waiting in an interrogation room, hands cuffed to a metal bar, and smiled as they joined her. ‘My first visitors in months. To what do I owe this pleasure?’

‘This isn’t a social call,’ Lena said dryly.

Lillian nodded. ‘I know it’s not. So what do you want?’

Maggie took over. ‘Your help in a matter that might actually concern you.’

‘My help?’ Lillian laughed. ‘Oh sweetheart, _you_ know what my conditions for helping you will be and _I_ know that you will refuse to meet them. Ergo, this was a wasted a journey and you should leave now before you waste any more of your time.’

Of course, Maggie knew what they were – _free her_. And honestly? She had considered it. ‘You know that I can’t do that.’

‘And you know that I won’t help you,’ Lillian smiled. ‘But go on, enlighten me. What situation is so dire that you came all this way to ask _me,_ of all people, to help you?’

Maggie was honest. ‘Kara, Alex and the President have all been taken hostage by some group, a group which is also apparently intent on taking you down too. If these people can abduct the President of the United States in broad daylight, then they’ll be able get in here with no problem. Help me out, and your life might just be spared.’

‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life in here,’ Lillian said, leaning back in her chair. ‘How is that any different from being killed?’

‘They’ll also take over Cadmus and ruin everything you’ve ever done. Hell,’ Maggie hated herself for having to go there in present company, but she had to. ‘They might even come after your family, and you won’t be able to stop them.’

Lena shifted slightly in her seat. ‘Maggie’s right. I have security but they obviously won’t be a match for them…whoever _they_ are.’

The brutal truth made Lillian consider. ‘What do you want?’

Maggie pulled a photo from her pocket, unfolded it and placed it down in front of Lillian. ‘This is Agent James Henry Clifford. Do you know him?’

‘I know him.’

Maggie’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Was he Cadmus?’

Lillian smiled. ‘What do I get from this? I want more than just assurances that my family will be okay.’

Right in front of the daughter… _harsh_. Poor Lena looked down at the ground. Looks like they did have something in common after all – exceptionally shitty parents. Maybe they could bond over that. Maggie pushed that thought aside for now. ‘If you give me something meaningful, I’ll find a way to make it worth your while, I promise.’

‘And I’m meant to believe that? C’mon detective, I’m not stupid.’

Maggie sighed, unclipped her badge from her belt and set it down on the table. ‘I’m not saying that as a cop, and I’m certainly not saying that as whatever-the-hell position I’ve been roped into at the DEO.’ She held up her left hand. ‘I’m saying that as a _wife_ , and I just want my wife, and my sister-in-law, back. And I _will_ make this worthwhile for you in some capacity.’ And that was why she’d considered freeing Lillian from here…and why she still hadn’t totally ruled it out.

A few quiet moments passed. Then, ‘When was the wedding?’

‘About thirty-six hours ago.’

Lillian frowned. ‘Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?’

‘Yeah,’ Maggie let out a small laugh. In a sense, it was kinda funny – this sort of crazy shit only ever seemed to happen to them. ‘I should be in Rome right now, so this is a bit of a comedown,’ Maggie said, taking in the dingy room around her. ‘No offence.’

‘None taken. But I would like some form of upgrade for my co-operation.’

‘That can definitely be arranged.’ She wasn’t sure how but she’d make sure of it. She may hate Lillian Luthor with every fibre of her being, but if she helped to bring Alex back? Then she’d be compensated accordingly. ‘Just please…tell me what you know about this guy.’

And so Lillian did. ‘He was our mole in the secret service for over two years, until he decided to quit.’

‘And you let him walk? Just like that?’

‘No,’ Lillian said firmly. ‘We’re not stupid, we were still looking for him. He got a new job within the government and he’s being protected by the bastard he defected to – he’s been impossible to track down. He’s clearly gotten brave now that I’m in prison.’

‘Who did he defect to? Who’s he working for?’

‘Let me check – I _will_ be rewarded for this, correct?’

‘If the information is legit, then yes. Absolutely,’ Maggie affirmed. ‘Now _please_. Tell me who he’s working for.’

*** *** ***

It made sense now.

Well, kinda.

There were still a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but it was easy to see how it had all been so effortless – Maxwell Lord had more than enough money to pull something like this off.

However, knowing that Lord was responsible only made things harder. He was a public figure, easy to find but she couldn’t just go and confront him, not unless she wanted to be a widow. No, she had to play this cool and play along with Clifford’s demands for now.

‘Stick this into the nearest computer, will you?’ She said, forcing the USB stick into Winn’s hand.

‘I…what?’

She lowered her voice. ‘Clifford’s orders. It’ll take down the network.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. He knows we lied to him about J’onn, so it’s better to follow along now. Plus, whatever that,’ she pointed at the flashdrive, ‘does, then I know who’s responsible.’

Winn looked at her, confused. ‘Me?’

She shook her head. ‘No, not you. Clifford’s working for Maxwell Lord. Lord’s behind all of this.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Oh man…if Alex didn’t already hate him.’

Maggie perched on the edge of Winn’s desk. ‘They have history?’

Winn nodded. ‘Yeah, they do. Alex even went on a date with him.’

‘Ew,’ Maggie said instinctively before clarifying, ‘Not _ew_ because he’s a guy, by the way. _Ew_ because he’s, well, _him_. Why would anyone go on a date with him? The only person he loves is himself.’

‘It wasn’t a _date date_ , she was undercover. It was before I started working here, but I’ve heard _all_ the stories. He even tried handfeeding her. It didn’t go well.’

‘What? Alex loves that--.’ Maggie stopped herself a little too late. ‘I didn’t say that, and if Alex finds out that I told you _that_ then we’re both dead, understand?’

The grin was wiped off Winn’s face the second the power cut out. ‘That’s…not good.’

‘And that can’t be a coincidence either.’

‘Back-up generators should be going live in five…four…three…two…one.’ Winn waved a finger but nothing happened. ‘Oh, that’s definitely not good.’

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘He said it would take the computer network down.’

‘Well, _technically_ it has. As well as the power network.’

‘Shit.’

Thing were only starting to get bad. ‘What the hell is happening?’ Lucy asked as she made her way over, Clifford in tow.

Maggie shrugged. ‘The power’s out.’

‘And?’

‘And that’s it? I’m a cop, not an electrician. I don’t why it’s out.’

‘But you can _find_ out.’

‘Really?’ Maggie frowned. ‘‘Cause that’ll be an appropriate use of our time. My wife’s missing, as is Supergirl, and you want me to find out why there’s a power cut in what is, essentially, _your_ building? Screw that. You have a flashlight on your phone, use that until the power comes back on.’ The initial snark had been instinctive but she didn’t course correct, instead deciding to focus in on it. Maybe once this was all over, she’d have beers with Lucy and they’d laugh about it but, right now? Right now, Maggie had to keep Clifford happy and keep increasing the tension between her and the Major.

‘Detective, this is a major security breach--.’

‘And so is the President’s disappearance. Who is _actually_ running the country right now? Is the Vice President even aware of--.’ And then it hit her, and she had to finish her thought quickly before Clifford caught on. ‘—this?’ Because the Vice President? The Vice President was a noted friend of one Mr Maxwell Lord.

‘The Vice President has not been notified of this yet, no,’ Lucy answered. ‘He’ll be notified in the morning.’

‘I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear the news,’ Maggie said dryly. ‘Regardless, this power cut is not my job to fix. Get one of your other minions to fix it.’

‘I will, don’t worry.’

Clifford lingered after Lucy left. ‘So you did it, huh? Good to see that you’re finally seeing sense.’

‘When will I see my wife? And my sister-in-law? I think I deserve to see them.’

‘I can make a phone call now if you want?’

Maggie shook her head. ‘I want to see them in person.’

Clifford laughed. ‘That’s not happening.’

‘Why not? You saw Lucy for yourself. She’s understandably overwhelmed by this mess. She’s smart, but there’s no way she’s getting to the bottom of this alone.’ Maggie’s eyes flicked over to Winn. ‘They’re being held somewhere in the city, right? Take me to them, and Winn can stay here and be a thorn in Lucy’s ass if needed.’ The safest place for Winn right now was within the DEO, so she didn’t see a problem with leaving him here alone.

Clifford pursed his lips. Then, ‘Nah. Maybe later.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Seriously. But I _will_ let you talk to her again.’

*** *** ***

It never got any easier to see Alex so vulnerable.

There was now a deep cut on her temple and, whilst her wife was always susceptible to burning on a fine summer’s day, she looked especially pale right now. All Maggie wanted to do was reach through the tiny screen, to cup those ashen cheeks with both hands, and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

On the remotely bright side of things, Alex was speaking coherently and still seemed very much lucid. Hell, she was even cracking her usual brand of jokes – lame. ‘Remind me never to do overtime again.’

And, as she always did because she was hopelessly in love with that dork, Maggie laughed. ‘Yeah, we should’ve included _no overtime_ in our vows.’

‘Vow renewal when I get out of here?’

‘Not a chance in hell. I’m not putting up with _The Maid of Honour from Hell_ again. I’ve already had enough of that to last this lifetime that I’m going to spend with you.’ She spotted Clifford rolling his eyes at the corniness of that line, and mouthed a _go fuck yourself_ in his direction. Corny and sappy declarations of her love had kinda became her brand, and she’d grown confident to utter them in front of people now – she couldn’t give a damn what that asshole thought. ‘No, I’m good with my vows. And I meant every word of them.’ _To love, to honour and to protect._ ‘But yeah…let’s cut out the overtime. I think we both work enough as is.’

‘We should’ve been in goddamn Rome by now.’

Alex had always been fixated on Rome. It had been their initial honeymoon destination. Then they decided to start fully living, to make the most of vacation days they never spent and chose to extend their trip into a three week long European adventure. Maggie was looking forward to their journeys within the United Kingdom – London and Edinburgh were the big stopping points, but they figured they’d wing it when they got there and visit a few more cities. Her attempts to reassure Alex were also attempts to reassure herself that they’d still see those sights. ‘Rome will still be there for us, babe. You just gotta be a little more patient, and let this all work out.’

Alex sighed. ‘Easier said than done. My patience is running extremely low.’

‘You say that as if it’s always high to begin with,’ Maggie countered. ‘But, seriously. Just hang on, okay? Just like you did the last time.’ Maggie hoped she got the reference. ‘Look, I need to go. The more I help these guys, the sooner I’ll get you back--.’

‘No, don’t--.’

‘ _Negotiate with them_? Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t, but I kinda got no other option. I love you, alright? Talk soon.’ She ended the call before Alex could plead with her anymore.

Clifford was impressed. ‘I’m glad we seem to be on the same pa--.’ An elbow to the throat cut him off, and knocked him onto his ass.

She drew on him. ‘Don’t think I won’t shoot you.’

‘Go ahead. See how that works out for you.’

‘You aren’t worth the bullet,’ she spat, using her free hand to cuff him before grabbing his phone, immediately checking his call log to confirm what she already knew. He called his guy every thirty minutes to check-in.

Thirty minutes.

That was how long she had to save her wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand now this fic's title makes sense.
> 
> also for the people that thought it was Kate Kane that Maggie called, I truly wish that I was that familiar/confident with comic book history to be able to write her - maybe in a future fic when i am ;) xo


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the delay in updating -life caught up with me! everything should be back on track now though, i promise! thanks for sticking with me! x

She lost a minute of those thirty handcuffing Clifford to the nearest pipe.

Asking him about Alex’s whereabouts would only waste more, so she instead opted to kick him in the gut before leaving to seek out Lucy. On her way, she called a friend. ‘Question for you – do CEOs actually pay meticulous attention to every single thing that their rivals do, or is that just a myth?’

‘Not a myth. We actually hire people to do just that for us,’ Lena explained. ‘Maxwell Lord, I presume?’

‘Yeah. I need to know if he’s ever made any off-the-book property acquisitions in the city.’

Involving Lena in this had proven to be an extremely wise decision – not only did she have information, but she also had it ready. ‘He’s been shifting his focus to Metropolis, so he’s actually been selling up here as of late. But he still does have one – an old cannery by the docks.’

_An old cannery_ – it sounded as shady as it did cliched. That had to be the place. ‘Great, text me the address. Thank you.’

‘Hey - what are friends for?’

Once this mess was over, Maggie would make sure to embrace and cherish this friendship with everything that she had. ‘I’ll keep you updated.’ 

The power was still out. She found Lucy hovering by Winn with a flashlight in her hand, as the latter furiously tapped into a laptop. Maggie cut right to it. ‘Maxwell Lord has Alex and Kara. Agent Clifford has been working for him.’

Lucy didn’t look surprised, not even remotely.

In fact, she looked guilty.

_Of course._ Maggie had heard about Lucy and, consequently, had been a little surprised by how passive she’d been. Now it made sense. ‘But you knew that, didn’t you?’ Then her stomach churned, and her hand instinctively inched closer to the gun on her hip. ‘Please tell me that you aren’t on in this too because if you are--.’

‘No. No, I’m not with them, I swear. I…’ Lucy let out a sigh. ‘I was forced into cooperating with them, to make sure that this investigation didn’t go anywhere – Lord has information that’d ruin my career and he promised to make it public if I didn’t help him.’

‘You chose your career over my _wife_? Over my sister-in-law? I thought you were all friends?’

‘We are, and I respect them both,’ Lucy said firmly. ‘But that…It’s just not like that. I…I could end up in prison if that information got out. My life would be over.’

Maggie shook her head. ‘Whatever, that’s not important right now. What _is_ important is getting everyone back in one piece. I’ve got credible intel that suggests they’re being held in an old factory by the docks, and a very short time frame to plan and carry out a rescue mission. All I need to know is if you’re with me or not?’

‘I am. A hundred percent.’

‘Good. That’s all I need.’

‘So how long do we have? And how are we going to do this?’

Maggie checked her watch. ‘Twenty-six minutes.’ And as for _how_? Five letters came to mind – _WWADD_.

 

*** *** ***

_WWADD._ That was the acronym that was running through Maggie’s mind. _What would Alex Danvers do_?

As acting director of the DEO, what happened next was entirely her call. Her wife’s fate rested in her hands and, realistically, Maggie only had two options – to go in all guns blazing with a tactical team, or to go for a silent approach that would see her sneaking in alone. They were both reckless but the latter seemed even more so, so that was the one she went for.

She wasn’t entirely alone. She was armed; had a panic button that would see reinforcements swarming on the cannery within seconds; and, most importantly, had Winn in her ear, who was running things from the DEO. ‘The alarm system is officially down. You’ll be able to go through the fire exit without alerting anyone.’

‘That’ll take me through the offices, right?’

‘Right,’ he confirmed. ‘The corridor is about fifty yards. When you get to the end of it, turn right to head towards the factory floor. If you need further directions, just say – I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Thanks Winn. I can’t do this without you.’

‘I’m sure you could find another nerd--.’

‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘I meant I couldn’t do any of this without _you_.’

‘Hey…you know I’ll always have your back.’

Maggie did, and for that she was infinitely grateful. She checked her watch – that beautiful watch that Eliza had given her as a wedding gift – before taking a deep breath. _Seven minutes_. She had seven minutes. ‘Drinks will be on me after this, I promise.’

After some manipulation, the fire exit door heaved open. The second she carefully closed it behind her, she was in darkness. She kept her footsteps slow and quiet, approaching each of the open office doors with caution, gun drawn. The first three were empty.

The last one wasn’t.

A body.

The man had no obvious injuries but his skin was pale, and his pulse was weak. She searched him for any weapons and found none. Content he wasn’t a threat, she proceeded back down the corridor. Winn had been correct with his directions. The factory floor was indeed to her right…

…and so were even more bodies. Three this time.

‘What the hell?’ She whispered to herself before headed over to check on each of them. The second of the three men was conscious, but only just. He groaned weakly as she crouched by him and covered his mouth. ‘Keep your voice quiet or I’ll finish you off,’ she warned before removing her hand. ‘Where are the hostages?’

He said nothing.

She pushed a knee into his gut, as she made sure to muffle his cries with her hand. ‘Buddy, you better answer me or this will get _a lot worse_ for you. So let’s try again, shall we?’

This time he cooperated. ‘She’s gone.’

‘Gone where?’

‘I…I don’t know. She escaped.’

Everything about the operation had been watertight, almost perfect and yet Alex had somehow managed to escape? Maggie wasn’t even slightly surprised – _that was her girl_. _But, wait?_ ‘She? What about the other two?’

The guy meekly shook his head. ‘They weren’t here.’

Maggie nodded. Her gut told her that he was telling the truth, but she still made sure to check the rest of the building out, just in case.

As expected, she found nothing but two more unconscious men and a broken wooden chair with duct tape still hanging to the arms. ‘Alex is gone,’ Maggie reported back to Lucy. ‘She’s going after Lord – he’ll have Kara.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Certain.’ She knew her wife better than she knew herself. Thus, she knew for a fact that Maxwell Lord was a dead man if Alex got her hands on him and Maggie? Maggie didn’t want to let that happen…not before she could make the son of a bitch suffer herself.

*** *** ***

The sun was starting to come up, so the roads were getting busier as they neared the usual craziness of morning rush hour.

Maggie weaved through the ever-increasing amount of traffic on her _Triumph_. She took sketchy shortcuts and ran many a red light on her way to _Lord Technologies_. It was a fairly short drive between the two locations but it felt like a million miles.

She knew why Alex was attempting to do this alone – Alex didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. That was admirable, and it was that sort of selflessness that had made Maggie fall in love with her. Yet Maggie also hated it, because it made Alex do stupid things. She had to get to her before the recklessness that Alex was famous for, finally caught up to her.

Focus so firmly fixed on catching up with her wife, Maggie didn’t notice the SUV that came careening into her until it was too late.

She flew over the handlebars and landed, hard, on her shoulder.

‘ _Damnit_.’

She knew instantly that it was dislocated and she tried, desperately, to yank it back into its socket. Car doors slammed shut and footsteps approached, growing louder and louder as she tried to give herself a fighting chance. But it was futile. The pain was too much and she couldn’t find that strength, couldn’t do it. She braced herself for an assault, and a possible end.

You could imagine her surprise when it didn’t come.

And the multitude of emotions when she heard _that_ familiar voice. ‘Oh my god…Maggie?’

_Alex_.

Alex dropped to her knees and carefully pried off the helmet that had almost certainly saved Maggie’s life. ‘Are you okay? Talk to me, babe.’ Gentle hands took hold of her face. ‘Look at me, Maggie.’

Maggie squinted her eyes open. Despite pain radiating from every inch of her body – in addition to her injured shoulder, her ribs were mostly likely broken, too – she managed a smile. ‘Hey…Mrs Danvers.’

Her wife returned it. ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to hearing that.’

‘Me neither.’

‘Missed me?’

‘So much.’ Maggie had never used to be that person to miss someone so much…and then Alex came into her life. Never mind a lifetime – a mere day without her soulmate felt like an eternity. ‘I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought I might lose you.’

‘You are never losing me,’ Alex said as she tenderly stroked Maggie’s cheek. ‘No. You’re stuck with me forever.’

Maggie smiled. ‘Forever…yeah, I like the sound of--.’

A kick to the ribs brought her back to consciousness, back to reality. _Of course it hadn’t been Alex…nothing was ever that easy._ Instead it was some nameless and silent thug who was intent on beating her to death in the middle of the road, as early morning traffic ground to a halt. Nobody got out their car to help – luckily, she didn’t need the assistance, a knee to the man’s groin taking him down.

She didn’t have any time to celebrate, as more attackers emerged from the car. She didn’t stand a chance but still fought anyway, before the sharp sting of a tazer had her seeing black.

*** *** ***

Maggie woke in a laboratory, sat upright in an uncomfortable metal chair with her hands cuffed behind her. Her head hurt and her busted shoulder felt like it was on fucking fire but hey…at least she was alive and inside _Lord Technologies_. She had to look at the positives, right?

She shifted slightly to test out her restraints. As expected, she found little wiggle room. However, what she didn’t expect was for her hands to brush against skin.

Someone else was behind her, also in cuffs.

She stretched out her fingers and let them wander. They found a familiar softness, and a welcoming warmth that she recognized as _home_. ‘Alex?’ She whispered as her heart hammered in her chest.

A few seconds passed and then came a groggy voice. _Alex_ ’s groggy voice. ‘Maggie?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts x


	7. Chapter 7

It was definitely Alex’s hands, that she was sure of.

What she wasn’t sure of was if this was real, or if this was merely her mind playing cruel, cruel tricks on her yet again. Her voice shook as she spoke, as she sought out assurance that she wasn’t going completely crazy. ‘Please, _please_ tell me that it’s really you.’

A few seconds passed. Silence.

She spoke louder this time. ‘Alex? Please be you.’

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, ‘Maggie.’

The weight on her chest lifted. The situation was dire, yes, but with Alex there with her? It was much, much more manageable. ‘So…you broke out of the factory, huh?’

‘It wasn’t hard.’

Maggie smiled. ‘That’s my girl.’

‘They had guns but they didn’t even think about using them. They wanted me alive.’

‘They were just the lackeys, they didn’t have the authority to kill you without orders,’ Maggie remarked. ‘Regardless. You should’ve reached out when you got out of there. You shouldn’t have tried to go it alone.’

‘I know, I just--.’

‘Didn’t want to put me in harm’s way? Yeah, look how that turned out.’ In this instance, the selflessness was as stupid as it was commendable. ‘I married you for better or for worse. You should’ve called me.’

‘Next time, I will.’

‘Good,’ Maggie said, certain that there indeed would be a next time. ‘So…shall we talk about Maxwell Lord? I heard you two were close.’

Alex groaned. ‘Don’t get me started on that jerk.’

‘That’s a shame. I was really looking forward to hearing all the details about your hot date with him.’

Another groan. ‘Winn told you, didn’t he?’

‘With great pleasure,’ Maggie grinned. ‘So, c’mon…how was it? What’s it like going on a date with a billionaire?’

‘Horrible, and I don’t recommend.’

‘How come?’

‘He rented out an entire five-star restaurant for our date--.’

‘And? I rented out an entire ballroom for you.’

‘Yes, but you didn’t try to feed me snail eggs nor did you talk incessantly about yourself or my sister the whole time. And you certainly didn’t use the evening to plant a listening device on me. Oh, and not long after that he tried to kill Kara so yeah…he’s a very classy guy. I wasn’t at all surprised to find out that he’s part of this, though I’m still not sure why. Why me and Kara? Why the President? Abducting the most powerful person on this planet is one hell of a risk to take.’

‘Well, he took you to get to me; Kara because, well, I suspect having _Supergirl_ out of the equation is always beneficial; and Marsdin was taken because he’s working with the Vice-President. Lord was one of his biggest donators, and it’s not hard to guess why he’s helping him.’

‘Typical man. Can’t stand a woman leading the way.’

Maggie hummed in agreement.

The metal of the cuffs rattled as Alex shifted in her seat before sighing. ‘We’re not getting out of here anytime soon.’ Her fingers sought out and entwined with Maggie’s. ‘Not going to lie, married life has not exactly been great so far. I’ve been drugged, beaten and am currently one tooth down.’

‘My shoulder’s dislocated, too.’

Alex tried to turn around and groaned as her restraints prevented her. ‘What? Are you okay?’

Maggie lied, not wanting to worry her wife – a perpetual worrier – anymore than she already was. ‘I’m in pain but it’s manageable. I tried fighting the bastards off but I was outnumbered.’ And had a goddamn taser jabbed in her ribs. ‘What about you? You okay?’

‘Been through worse,’ Alex replied. ‘But it still sucks. It wasn’t meant to be like this, we should have been on our honeymoon.’

‘And we will be. Once this is over,’ Maggie reassured. ‘Lucy knows where we are--.’

‘Are you sure? We don’t even know where we are, not for certain.’ Another sigh. ‘But yeah…we’ll get out of here, and we’ll be on the first flight to Rome once you get your shoulder checked. Though if you need surgery, we won’t be going anywhere until you can fly.’

‘Killjoy,’ Maggie laughed.

‘Yeah, but you love me.’

‘That I do.’ Maggie tilted her head back a little, resting it against her wife’s. ‘A few hours after you left, your mom came by to _welcome me to the family_ for what was probably the hundredth time.’

‘She likes you. She’s _always_ liked you.’

That was true. From day one, it had felt like her mother-in-law had been her biggest fan. Eliza Danvers had been nothing but kind, supportive and accepting…the sort of mom that Maggie wished that she had. ‘She gave me a gift. She gave me your father’s watch.’

A few seconds passed, with Alex saying nothing.

Maggie was confused. Then worried. What if Alex wanted that watch? It was her father’s watch, surely she’d want to wear something so special, right? ‘Is that--.’

‘Are you wearing it?’

‘Yeah, I’ve not taken it off since Eliza gave it to me.’

‘Dad, I love you,’ Alex whispered before her fingers wandered up Maggie’s hand, landing on the timepiece. ‘That watch was made by the DEO, and if you pull out this part…’ It took a moment or two before Alex removed something, ‘…then we should be getting out of here. Keep your hands steady because if I drop this tiny piece of metal, then we’re both screwed.’

She didn’t drop it, instead eventually releasing the locking mechanisms of the cuffs. Maggie let out a small whimper as her arm limply swung free.

‘Can you free me now?’

Maggie took the small skeleton key, that had been disguised as the watch’s crown and freed Alex. Immediately Alex was up on her feet and unbuckling her belt.

‘Whoa, someone’s keen to start the honeymoon,’ Maggie joked.

Alex grinned. ‘I hope you don’t mind it being a little rough.’

‘With you? Never.’

‘Good,’ she said, offering the belt. ‘Sit down, bite down on that and I’ll put that shoulder back in place.’

‘Bossy.’

‘You know you love it.’

‘I really do,’ Maggie smiled.

*** *** ***

The sound of the _pop_ still rung in her ears.

Alex had been as gentle as possible and did her absolute best to distract from the uncomfortableness of it all…but it still hurt like a bitch. The makeshift sling – Alex’s bloodied sweatshirt – only alleviated some of the pain. ‘Do you know where you’re going?’

‘Kinda,’ Alex replied as she led the way through same-y white empty corridors. ‘I’ve been here before a few times but it’s anyone’s guess as to what floor Kara will be on.’ She swallowed roughly. ‘ _If_ she’s even here.’

‘What about Marsdin?’

‘If we find her then great but she’s not a priority. It’s family first – the DEO can handle the rest when we--.’ Alex paused as she peeked around the corner. Then cursed. ‘Damn. There’s cameras.’ She took another careful look. ‘It seems to be stationary and monitoring the elevator. There’s a blindspot underneath, we should be able to sneak by.’

On paper it was a good plan. ‘Alex?’

‘Yeah?’

‘If we run into anybody, I’m not sure I’ll be of much use.’

‘And? I’m not going to leave you here. No way,’ Alex said firmly. ‘Just…stay behind me. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.’

*** *** ***

It felt like a trap, the building was _that_ empty. It probably was a trap yet they kept pushing forward, kept looking for Kara as they had no other choice.

They finally ran into trouble on the tenth floor, as Alex spotted a guard stationed outside a door as she peeked around another corner.

‘Stay here,’ she mouthed, leaving before Maggie could realize what her wife was about to do – which was, as always, reckless.

_Reckless_ proved successful yet again, as Alex approached the man and disarmed him swiftly and with ease, before temporarily putting him out of commission and scouring his unconscious body. She grabbed his gun before calling Maggie over.

‘My sister’s in this room, I’m certain of it.’

And Kara was, laying in a bed with IVs running green liquid into her bloodstream.

Alex immediately pulled those wires out. ‘Kryptonite,’ she stated the obvious. ‘It’ll have been entering her at a steady, yet non-lethal pace. She’s too valuable to kill, they’d--.’ She was cut off by her sister suddenly coming to, immediately trying to sit up. ‘Whoa, hey. You’re okay, we’re here.’

Kara relaxed a little, her eyes straining at the bright lights overhead. ‘Al…Alex?’

‘Yeah,’ Alex said before nodding over. ‘And Maggie too.’

Maggie smiled. ‘Hey sis.’

The Kryptonian squinted. ‘Where am I? What…what happened?’

‘Long story.’ Alex’s eyes scanned Kara, as she did a quick visual examination. ‘And we’ll get into that later, once we’re all out of here. I will say, however, that it involves our dear friend, Mr Maxwell Lord.’

Saying his name was all it took to summon him. ‘Alex Danvers. Good to see you again.’

Alex spun around, gun raised as she took steps forward, to put herself in the middle to protect her family. ‘Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now.’

Lord smiled. ‘‘Cause you said it yourself. We’re friends. You don’t shoot friends.’

It only riled Alex up more. ‘And friends don’t abduct friends either, yet here we all are.’ She inched closer. ‘You know I never expected you to turn over a new leaf but I at least thought that you wouldn’t be dumb enough to come after my family again. If you make any sudden movements then you’re a dead man – and that’s a promise, not a threat.’

‘And she’s good at keeping her promises,’ Maggie chimed in.

Lord nodded. ‘Maggie, right? We haven’t been formally introduced.’

‘Let’s keep it that way,’ Maggie fired back, something that made Lord laugh.

‘Oh, she’s snarky. A girl after your own heart, right Danvers?’

Alex didn’t care. ‘Give me one good reason not to kill you right now.’

‘You haven’t let me explain myself yet,’ he calmly replied.

‘ _Explain_? You kidnapped the President. I’ll be a national hero if I put you down.’

‘You also wouldn’t walk out of this building alive, nor would your little wifey or your darling sister. So, if I were you, I’d listen because President Marsdin? She’s a threat to our country.’

Maggie couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘Really? _She’s_ the threat? And the other guy who she, thankfully, beat wasn’t?’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that you’re an alien groupie. Hell, you’ve had sex with aliens. People like you are more than happy to let their kind govern us, aren’t you? And more than happy to trust them.’

‘Dude, c’mon…it doesn’t matter who she is. All politicians are untrustworthy.’

‘Yeah,’ Alex chimed in. ‘Be honest. Your problem isn’t that she’s an alien – it’s that she’s a _woman_.’

‘Now you’re reaching.’

Alex shook her head. ‘Regardless, it doesn’t matter You let us all walk out here peacefully and you’ll have fifteen minutes to make yourself as scarce as possible.’

‘Not a chance.’

Alex’s gun remained trained on his heart. ‘That wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. The DEO knows you’re behind all of this and they’ll be coming after your sorry ass regardless of what happens to us. So…it’s up to you. Let us walk and you’ll have a chance at freedom. Don’t and I’ll kill you right now and we’ll take our chances. It’s up to you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? x
> 
> p.s. real life's been kicking my ass recently, so thanks for being patient with me! x

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know what y'all think! x


End file.
